A top Russian general has been killed in Ukraine amid fierce fighting, dealing a huge setback to Russia's invasion. Andrei Sukhovetsky, 47, deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District, was killed on Wednesday, as Ukrainian forces pushed back the approaching Russian troops once again that saw fierce fighting on the streets of Kyiv, local media outlets reported.
Sukhovetsky's death definitely is a major blow to the already demoralized Russian troops. The This comes amid claims made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that more than 9,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the war last week.
Major Blow
Local media outlets also reported that Sukhovetsky was killed by a sniper while leading an attack on Ukrainian forces. Sukhovetsky's death is yet to be confirmed by Russia's Ministry of Defense, but it was publicized on social media by his colleague Sergey Chipilyov and extensively covered by Russian and Ukrainian news agencies.
They were referring to a post by Sergei Chipilev, a deputy of the Russian veterans group Combat Brotherhood, on the Russian social networking platform VKontakte.
"It is with great sorrow that we learned of the tragic news about the death of our friend, Major General Andrei Aleksandrovich Sukhovetsky, on the territory of Ukraine during a special operation," the post reportedly read.
A military source confirmed that Sukhovetsky was killed "by a sniper," and that his funeral will be held in Russia on Saturday. The Major General is by far the most senior Russian figure to have perished in the fight thus far.
It was not clear where Sukhovetsky was killed but it is believed that he was in Kyiv. That said, his loss will be taken in Ukraine as yet another encouraging sign that the Russian invasion is not progressing as planned.
Ukraine Fights On
According to reports, the 47-year-old was a highly decorated veteran and was appointed deputy army commander of the 41st division in October 2021. After graduating from the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School in 1995, Sukhovetsky started his career path as a platoon commander. He went on to become chief of staff of the Guards airborne assault unit.
He had served as the commander of the 7th Airborne Assault Division at Novorossiysk for three years, as well as combat deployments in the Chechen war, Abkhazia, and the Syrian intervention.
Sukhovetsky was awarded two Orders of Courage, the Order of Military Merit, and the Medal of Courage for his participation in the Victory Parade on Moscow's Red Square on two occasions.
He was also given special recognition for his role in Russia's annexation of Crimea. His death comes as a major blow to the already demoralized Russian forces, with casualties mounting every day.
Zelensky on Thursday claimed that so far 9,000 Russian soldiers have been killed. However, Moscow figures are far lower. The Kremlin finally revealed on Monday that 498 of its troops were killed and 1,600 injured in Ukraine's "special military operation," after days of denial, but the genuine amount is almost certainly higher.
Thursday marked the eighth day of Russia's invasion, with the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine falling into Moscow's control. After a week of warfare in which Putin's army suffered huge casualties, his men have taken Kerson, the first regional capital held by his men while Ukraine's military continue to reject the Russian onslaught.
Despite severe Russian shelling of many cities, including Chernihiv, Mariupol, and Kharkiv, defenses elsewhere are still holding firm.
Overnight, Kyiv was hit by four huge missiles, one of which hit the central train station and the other three hitting TV or radio stations.
